The Suite
by ladykatsuyu
Summary: Multi-Chapter Fic. Shikamaru and Temari have decided to share a suite for the first time while visiting the Shinobi Union - with plans to take the next step in their relationship. Fluff. HEAVY SMUT. Complete. Bonus chapter SOON. ShikaTema. Shikamaru x Temari.
1. Chapter 1

This occurs a little over a month before the Mission to Amegakure (be sure to check out that story as well!) This will be a multi-chapter fic.

* * *

The lock of the door unlocked with a loud click as Shikamaru opened the hotel room door for himself and Temari.

For the first time, they decided to share a suite. "To save money for both of their villages," reasoned Temari to the front desk clerk with a deep blush and a sideways glance. They both knew why they were doing it.

Usually, they stayed at the same hotel while visiting the Shinobi Union, and stayed in separate small rooms on opposite ends of the large hotel — and had very little contact with one another until they met in the lobby at a designated time to head to the Union or periodically went to the hotel restaurant together. But when Shikamaru approached the front desk clerk and asked for one suite for two people with Temari in tow behind him, he was met with a knowing grin and "I know just the room for you two lovebirds."

"No, we don't want anything specially. One of your two bedroom suites is fine," he said, turning bright red.

"Are you sure? We could put you in the honeymoon suite," said the clerk with a grin. "One king size bed…private balcony…hot tub?"

"No no," said Shikamaru looking slightly horrified. "Please, just one of the two bedrooms…"

"Alright, if you insist," said he clerk, looking a little disappointed.

And so, there they stood in the doorway of the suite. Unmoving and unsure of what they should do next.

Shikamaru glanced at Temari, who was already glancing sideways at him. She pursed her lips irritably, and blushed deeply, but tried to stand taller and appear less nervous than she was. She shuffled past Shikamaru with a "hmph" and walked in first, confidently. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and walked in behind her, closing the door behind himself and muttering lowly, "it's not a competition, you know…"

He set his bag down by the door and turned to look at Temari, who was squatting in front of the fireplace trying to rescue a fire that had burned itself down to embers. He watched her as the fire came back to life and illuminated her face.

She turned to smile at him, and his breath caught in his chest.

She turned and looked at the rest of the suite. They were standing in the small living room which had a couch, chair and coffee table. Next to the couch sat a basket of woolen blankets and several pillows.

To the right of the living room was the small kitchenette that had a full refrigerator, a small stove, a microwave and a small sink.

Off to the left were three doors. Temari walked over to them and opened each one, revealing a bathroom and two bedrooms.

Shikamaru was watching her by the door, and when she opened one of the bedrooms and walked in glancing at him just before she was past the door frame, his eyes widened, and he moved quickly to follow her.

When he walked in, he saw her bag that was sitting on the floor by the end of the bed, and he looked up and saw her standing by a pair of sliding glass doors. The moonlight was making her body look like a dark silhouette, defining every curve of her body. When she turned to face him, her eyes seemed to glow with the moonlight, and he found his eyes widening in awe at the sight. He wanted to tell her that she was beautiful. He wanted to walk up to her and take her in his arms and kiss her. He wanted to do so many things. But he couldn't. All he could do in that moment was stare in awe.

"There's…there's a small balcony. Would you like to step outside for a moment," she asked, a little more nervously than she would have liked. "It's pretty clear outside tonight. No clouds, and the moon is full. It's still freezing but at least it's not snowing, and—"

He set his pack down beside hers and walked over toward her, and nodded. There was a intensity in her stare that made her grow silent. She reached down to open the door, and a blast of cold air came into the room. She looked at him expectantly, and he stepped out the door onto the balcony before her.

There were lanterns all along the cement rail of the balcony. There was snow collected on the tops of some of them, and on the edges of the balcony, but for the most part there was little snow on the balcony — as if someone had swept most of it away.

There were two large chairs with cushions, and a small glass table between them.

She walked out behind him, and looked around to take it all in as he was. He was trying to remember every detail — even the small ones. He turned to face her, and was wondering if she was doing the same. He'd like to hope she was.

"Shall…we sit? Or—" she started, but he was already moving to sit in one of the chairs, and was motioning for her to do the same.

His silence was making her uncomfortable. As he was taking his seat, she looked at him while biting her bottom lip anxiously. _I wish he…would say or do something. Is he letting me take the lead? But I don't…_ she thought. She wasn't letting herself continue with her train of thought. She knew if she did, it would lead her to feel more anxious, more nervous…more afraid. Instead, she moved to sit beside him, and let out a loud sigh as she fell into the cushions, which were surprisingly warm.

She looked up and saw hundreds of stars. She could even see whole constellations. She smiled slightly as she tried to map out each one.

But he wasn't looking at the sky, or looking around them. He was looking at her.

"It's a beautiful night," she said, glancing at him. She noticed he was looking at her, and so she turned to look at him full on. "I don't remember the last time I saw a night this clear here."

He smiled slightly, and nodded in agreement as he himself looked up at the sky.

She remained looking at him for a moment before she turned her head back up to the sky.

He glanced at her again, and noticed her hand sitting on the arm of the chair. It was clenched slightly, a sight that surprised him. So…she was as nervous as he was, then?

He smirked to himself, and reached out to grab her hand. When he grasped it, he gripped it slightly. She turned to look at him in surprise, but he was looking away up at the sky.

She looked down at their hands, and with a small sigh she turned her hand over to interlace their fingers together.

"Temari," he said, lowly. She turned to look at him.

"Your…your hands are freezing," he said, turning to look down at their hands. "Come on. Let's go back inside. It's too cold to be out here."

He released her hand, and stood up. He turned to her, and reach out his hand again at her.

She looked down at it, then up at him. He was smiling warmly at her, but there was something in his eyes…a look she recognized yet wasn't familiar with yet. The danger behind that look frightened her, but the fire in her belly and the way her heart pounded quicker when she saw that look made her reach for his hand, and follow him back into the room.

He let her walk in first, then he turned to close the doors. When he turned to look back at her, she was staring at him with such intensity, he felt his blood begin to stir.

"Let's go warm up by the fire," he suggested, looking toward the door.

"Alright," she said, motioning for him to lead the way. As he turned to walk, he reached down to grab her hand again, wanting to touch her but too nervous to do the things he actually wanted to do.

She looked down at their hands again and smiled at them.

"You know, I can probably find the way back to the fireplace on my own without your help," she said with a light nervous chuckle, shaking his hand slightly. She felt herself getting more comfortable, and diverting back to their usual banter.

"I know, but I wanted…I wanted to touch you," he said with a blush, deciding that honesty was probably the best way to go in this situation. Her eyes widened for a moment at his statement, and a blush colored her cheeks, but she tried to push through it and continue with the familiar banter.

"Touch me," she said nervously with a smirk. "This is what you call touching?"

He stopped, turned to look at her and gave her a look that was so intense, her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened slightly.

"I figured if I did what I wanted to right now, I would be ruining the moment and rushing into things too quickly," he said, giving her a knowing look. "But I think you know me well enough by now to know that I like to take things slow and enjoy the moment," he said turning away and continuing to walk into the living room area.

"And…and what is it that you wanted to do," she said, face heating up slightly. She was giving up on the banter.

They were standing in front of the fire, and he released their hands and turned to look at her again. She could see the nervousness in his eyes, but his face conveyed nothing of it. He reached up to touch her face again. "I wanted to hold you, and kiss you," he said. _Well, maybe he wouldn't be completely honest...yet..._

Her eyes were surprisingly hazy looking. His insides burned each time she bat her eyelashes at him, or opened and closed her eyes slowly.

"And…what's stopping you from doing that now," she whispered, stepping closer to him.

"Nothing," he said moving closer to her. Their bodies were only inches apart now.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Earlier that day at the Shinobi Union meeting…**_

* * *

"We've sent a solicitation to Amegakure, Kusagakure, and several other villages. We are waiting for their responses," said Shikamaru, setting the paper he was reading from down on the rectangular table in front of himself.

"Isn't this the second time we've contact Ame," said Kurotsuchi, frowning. "What is happening there?" She was sitting almost directly in front of him at the u-shaped table of the conference room of the Shinobi Union - between Chojuro and Omoi.

"We did not receive a response the first time — partially due to the fact that the village was likely still recovering after the war. We have been giving them time to recover, and are contacting them again — having heard that they are more stable now from our contacts," said Temari. She was sitting in her usual spot at the u-shaped table, toward Shikamaru's direct right.

"Who is our primary contact now? I haven't heard anything about a village leader being selected," said Omoi, brow furrowing. Omoi was sitting off to the left.

"The village police is serving as the governing body over the village for now," said Shikamaru.

"Really," asked Kurotsuchi, eyebrow raised. She looked over at Chojuro, who glanced at her and was sharing her expression.

"W-Why haven't they chosen new leadership," asked Chojuro.

"We aren't sure. We are trying to get more information about the situation," said Temari, frowning slightly.

"But, until we have more information, we will continue to stay the course and try to recruit them under the Union," said Shikamaru, raising out of his chair. "If there is no other business, I am calling this meeting to a close."

The attendees nodded in agreement and chairs scraped on the floor as attendees moved to leave or talk with one another.

Nodding goodbye to some of the residual members in the room, Shikamaru moved to leave and walk back down the long hallway toward his office.

As he entered, he closed the door with a tired sigh, and set his papers on his desk, rubbing the back of his neck warily.

Before he could even walk around his desk to sit down, he heard a knock at his door, and he mumbled for the person to come in.

Temari was the one to open the door. "Shikamaru…I wanted to talk with you about something," she said as she closed and locked the door. He turned to look at her — the corner of his mouth raised slightly in a smile.

"What is it," he said, leaning casually up against his desk and crossing his arms. She was standing by the door with her back to it, arms behind her back.

"I was thinking…um…" she started, but hesitated. He was surprised to see her starting to blush slightly, and she seemed to be looking at the floor uncomfortably.

"Well…I…" She started again, and looked up at him. Suddenly, her eyes widened in what he could only guess what nervousness, because she suddenly said, "N-nevermind. It's nothing," and began to turn around to open the door.

He moved over toward her quickly, and grabbed her around the waist. "Tem…what is it? You can tell me," he whispered lowly in her ear. He noticed her neck begin to flush slightly and could hear her breathing more rapidly. He smiled at this, and kissed her neck. He felt her shudder slightly, and lean back into him. "Tell me what's on your mind," he whispered in her ear, continuing to kiss the spot on her neck that she seemed to like.

"Shika…" she breathed, "I…I want you…"

"I want you, too…" he whispered planting kisses up an down her neck.

Suddenly, she pulled away from him and turned to face him. Her face was flushed, her eyes were slightly half-lidded, and she seemed to be fighting to catch her breath. "N-No," she said, looking him in the eyes. "I…" she hesitated, but her voice suddenly deepened and became more sure, "I want you…tonight..."

His eyes widened slightly. "Wha…what," he said hoarsely. He wasn't sure if he was understanding her correctly.

"I want to…I want to take the next step…with you…" she said. He could see her earlier confidence wavering as she started to look down at the floor again.

He stared at her for a moment, slightly surprised at the words he was hearing coming from her mouth. "Are you…I mean…" started, but hesitated, and looked off to the left, feeling nervousness bubble up in his stomach. "Are you sure you're ready?"

She chanced a look at him, and noticed his nervousness. He turned, and met her eyes, and she felt her heart race and her anxiety lift slightly.

"I am…I don't want to be with anyone else but you," she said. His eyes widened at her sincerity, at the way she held his gaze and the how definitive her voice sounded.

He knew he felt the same way. He had for a while. That was why he told her he loved her.

But she had yet to say it. So he wasn't sure if she felt the same way.

"Temari," he said, looking away for a moment, closing his eyes, and looking back at her with a serious expression. "Are you really sure? I don't want you to do this because you think I want this, and because you're doing this for me or something."

She couldn't help but smirk at him. "Shikamaru," she said, "does that sound like something I would do?"

He pursed his lips at that, and looked off to the left again. "Well…"

She moved over to him quickly, and took his face in her hands.

"Shikamaru, I…" the words were at the tip of her tongue. _I love you_ , she thought. She knew she did, as much as she tried not to let her feelings escalate that far because of the situation with the council, she knew…he was the only man she could ever love.

This was why she wanted to do this. She knew he wanted to, but she knew he would never pressure her into doing this until she was ready. And she knew she was ready. She knew he was the one.

But she hated that she couldn't give all of herself to him yet. She wanted to give everything that she could, including this. And she was angry that there was so many questions still unanswered regarding the council. She just…wanted to be free.

Her eyes were filled with conflict and pain, and he could see her mind race as she struggled to get out what she wanted to say.

"I want to do this. I want to be with you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I don't want to be with anyone else," she paused again, and he felt her hands tighten slightly around his face. "Do you want to do this with me," she asked.

He could see there was something in her eyes. Something she wasn't saying, but that she was pleading for him to understand.

He knew about her situation with the Suna council. He knew how worried she was about pleasing them, and about how they would react to their relationship. He knew that after hearing that they weren't thrilled with Kankuro dating a girl from another village, she was keeping him at arms length and not letting herself get carried away with her emotions like she wanted.

It hurt him to see her hurting. It hurt him to not be able to experience every bit of her. The guard she seemed to always have up made his heart ache, but he knew it wasn't his place to tell her how to deal with that problem. She knew he loved her. She knew he wanted to be with her. She knew he wanted every bit of her. But she had to work this out on her own…

"Temari," he said, barely above a whisper. He reached his arms around her to pull her close and she reached her arms up around his neck as his head moved to her shoulder. "You…you know I do. I've wanted to for a long time," he said with a sigh.

He lifted his head up, and looked down at her with heavy-lidded eyes and a smile filled with meaning. "You are the only person I want to do this with. The only person I want to spend my life with. I love you. And I'm ready if you are."

She smiled at him tenderly, and lifted up on the tips of her toes to kiss his lips softly. Against his mouth she whispered with a purr, "so, then let's do this, Shika."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Later that evening…**_

* * *

He could feel the warmth of her skin under the palm of his hand and he gently touched her face.

She's always been warm to the touch. When he was once musing about it one afternoon of cloud watching, he convinced himself that it was because she was just warm-natured — she was from a warm climate with sweltering heat and coarse sandy dunes, so her body was 'built' like the place she came from.

But he knew he was wrong to think that. Sure, she was warm-natured. But she wasn't always this warm to the touch because of that.

She was warm because he was touching her.

He saw the light flush color her cheeks as she leaned slightly into his hand.

To think that he…he could make her this way…made his heart surge with confidence every time he witnessed it. It only served as a reminder to him of how she truly felt about him, and it made his heart soar with happiness.

He couldn't help but smile slightly in that moment. He moved his hand below her chin and lifted her head so that she was looking up at him. He leaned his head down, and kissed her softly.

* * *

Temari could feel the butterflies in her stomach flutter excitedly as his lips touched hers.

He pulled away, and kissed her on each cheek, slowly and softly, and then her forehead. She closed her eyes as she leaned into him and smiled.

His sweetness in that moment surprised her, but in a good way. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, and she hummed lowly in appreciation.

She rested her head against his chest and he leaned his head down to rest on the top of her head.

But, as much as she enjoyed this, something didn't feel quite right. She frowned slightly as she tried to figure out things out.

Shikamaru was perfectly content and was enjoying the moment. But, in the back of his mind, he was thinking about how to get to the next step. This was…wonderful. He wanted more of this. But…this wasn't the goal of the evening.

Suddenly, he noticed something in the corner of his eye.

"They have blankets and pillows over there in that basket. Want to grab some, maybe make some tea and relax by the fire," he said, pulling back to look down at her.

She looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "Sure. I'll get the tea."

The look in her eye and the small smile burned into the back of his mind. He knew: she was likely feeling the same way he was.

He watched her walk away toward the kitchenette for a moment before biting his lip and walking over to the pillows and blankets to shuffle through them.

 _So, how am I going to take things to the next step? What do I do,_ he thought, trying to strategize.

A number of scenarios popped into his mind:

They're cuddling by the fire, and he pulls her in for a kiss. He pushes her on her back, kisses her along her neck…particularly in that spot that she likes…and pushes her hands above her head as he unties her yutaka around her waist and…no, that won't work…

Or, he places the blanket over top of their laps, and wraps his arm around her to pull her close to him. They stare at the fire contently, whispering about this and that. Then, he glances at her mischievously, grins, and suddenly whips the blanket up and over their heads. She questions him, but he starts to tickle her. She giggles and begs him to stop, and he suddenly stops and pulls her close and whispers huskily in her ear, "I like it when you beg. Maybe I wont stop—" no, no that won't work either. She's more likely to kick his ass for attempting to tickle her before he even got the chance to say anything…and even still…he would never say that…

Or, he offers to give her a shoulder and back massage, and while giving the massage he slowly kisses her neck. He pulls the top of her yutaka down as he kisses her along her shoulders and down her arms. Then he reaches his hands around and—no, not this one either. He smiled to himself as he thought, _She wishes I would give her a massage, but like that would ever happen._

None of these scenarios really sounded right — none of them sounded like…them. He couldn't help but think that one or two of these reminded him of his friends and their relationships — and could possibly be the way things would happen if they were in Temari and his place right now.

But he needed to focus. He needed to find a way to fix things between Temari and himself in this moment. He furrowed his brow in frustration.

"Here," she said from behind him, which startled him.

"Th-thanks," he said, taking the cup of tea she was offering and sitting on the ground. She remained standing, and was looking down at him quizzically. "Are you alright," she said.

"What," he said, looking up at her with eyes wide. "Yeah, of course." He gave her a small smile, then turned to look at the fire and take a sip of his tea.

Her eyes narrowed at him.

"Shikamaru," she said, voice firm.

"Hmm?" he said, still looking at the fire.

"You suck at lying, you know," she said, smirking at him.

His eyes widened slightly before he looked up at her with a scowl. "What? I'm not lying."

"Yes, yes you are," she said, placing her own cup on the table behind them and crossing her arms.

He noticed how she seemed to tower over him. "I am not, Temari. Just drop it. Come on, just come sit with me and relax by the fire."

Her teal eyes flashed as she smirked at him. He could feel his blood begin to simmer again. "I don't like liars, Shikamaru. You know that. I won't waste my time with them. If you're going to lie to me, I'll just leave."

She started to turn to leave, and he reached to grab her wrist in a panic. "You…troublesome woman," he said lowly, scowling up at her.

"Either let go, or tell me the truth," she said.

"I am telling the truth. Come on, Tem, drop it."

"Let go, Liar."

"Damnit, just drop it!"

"No! I will not be lied to!"

"Why are you being such a…"

"'Such a' what?

"Such…such a bitch?!"

"Why are you being such a bastard? Just be honest with me!"

"For gods sake, Temari…"

"Let me go!"

"No."

"LET ME GO!"

"NO!"

"Damnit, Shikamaru, let me—"

"I was thinking about you, alright?"

"…"

"What?"

"I was…I was thinking about you."

She stared at him wide eyed. He had rose to his feet and was still holding her wrist.

He let go of her wrist and turned to face the fire.

"I was trying to think about how to please you…make the first time good for you," he muttered lowly.

He turned to look at her, and frowned slightly. "I noticed that you had this look in you eye. Like you might have been thinking that something wasn't quite right. I was feeling the same way. I was trying to figure out how to fix it."

Her mouth gaped open slightly at him.

He looked back at the fire. "But, all I've done is ruin the moment. We can't seem to do anything but argue and—"

Suddenly, she jumped on him, and he fell to the floor with a loud thump and a groan. "Temari! What are yo—" he started to say, but was interrupted by her mouth on his. She began to kiss him aggressively — pushing her tongue into his mouth and sucking hard on his bottom lip.

When she finally pulled up for air, they both breathed heavily and she was grinning widely and excitedly. She was laying between his legs, on his chest.

He had a confused expression on his face, and said, "wh…what was that? You nearly killed me, woman!"

"Ah, man up, crybaby," she said, smirking at him, eyes half-lidded.

He was completely flabbergasted. His mouth moved slowly as he tried to form words.

"What…but…you…" he stammered irritably.

"Hmm?" she asked, still laying on his chest and resting on her elbow, head in her palm and stared down at him with a satisfied smirk.

He paused, and looked up at her. _So, that's how she's going to play it,_ he thought, eyes starting to narrow. The earlier kiss had increased the heat in his blood but something about the look she was giving him was starting to set his blood to boil. Suddenly, he knew what he wanted to do.

So, he smirked right back at her and mumbled, "troublesome woman," before lifting off the ground quickly and pulling her up with himself, much to her surprise. He lifted her up and slang her over his shoulder. Her hips sat on his shoulders as he gripped them tightly.

"Sh-Shikamaru," she shrieked, blushing madly. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He knew at any point she could have fought to come off his shoulder, and he knew she was complying.

"I'm 'manning up.' I'm taking what's mine. You're coming with me, woman," voice husky.

"Wh-what," she said, sheepishly.

"I'm taking you to the bedroom," he said, beginning to walk down the hallway.

Her eyes widened slightly in excitement, but she quickly recovered.

"Hmph," she said, unable to fight the grin that spread across her face. "Just don't hit my head against the hallway walls on your way there or I'll knock you out with my tessen."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he said in mock irritation.

* * *

Temari fell to the bed with a hard plop and a sigh.

"You could've put me down a little softer," she said with a smirk.

"You're heavy. I was eager to get you off my back," said Shikamaru, sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing his shoulder.

"Nah, I'm not heavy. You're just weak," she said with a snort of laughter.

He turned to look at her with a scowl.

She was laying back on one of the pillows. He hair was spread around her face. The slit of her yutaka was higher up on her legs, exposing more of her thighs; and it was pulled open just a little more than normal around her shoulders and chest as if it were loosened from the ride to the bedroom.

 _She's beautiful without even trying,_ he thought, trying not to show his thoughts outwardly.

"How are you going to have sex with me if you can't even hold on to me for 30 seconds," she said, smirking at him.

His eyes widened slightly at her brazenness, but he quickly recovered.

 _She is too cruel,_ he thought, jaw clenching. _Two can play at that game._

He smirked. "Just what in the world are you thinking, you pervert."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she continued to smirk. "I was thinking about you fucking me up against that wall over there," she said, point at an exposed wall just behind him.

His eyes widened at her boldness, and this time he couldn't bring himself to recover.

Her smirk widened and she sat up. "Or, maybe you could fuck me in the shower. While the warm water runs down our backs," she said, pointing out the door toward the hallway.

Shikamaru started to bite his bottom lip.

"Or," she said, moving to her hands and knees looking at him with hazy, heavy-lidded eyes. "You could take me to the kitchenette and fuck me on the counter."

He couldn't help but notice the way her yutaka was spreading apart, leaving almost nothing to the imagination regarding her chest. He could feel cool air on his neck from the sweat that was beginning to form.

She started to crawl toward him slowly, back arched like a cat, arms pushing her breasts together just so and hips swinging behind her just right. He sucked in breath as he took in the sight.

She couldn't help but notice the bulge appearing in his pants. Part of her was a little embarrassed about this, but too much of her was enjoying the power she had over him in that moment.

"You could fuck me any way that you want, Shikamaru," she purred, face just inches from him. She looked down at his lap and licked her lips — a gesture that made his breath catch and made him grip the bed sheet slightly.

God, he wanted her. He wanted her right then and there. 'Taking our time' be damned — he wanted to fuck her until she screamed his name. He wanted her on her knees begging for it. He wanted her mouth on his—

But suddenly, she stopped and said, "but we can't because you're so weak."

And, she broke out in laughter.

It took him a moment to realize what had happened. When he did, he glared at her angrily. He was getting tired of this. He wanted her. Now.

Suddenly, he moved over toward her quickly, pushed her back as he laid on top of her. Much to his surprise, she was still smirking.

"I'll show you weak, woman. You know nothing," he said with a growl before leaning down to kiss her passionately. He kissed her neck, and pulled her hair back to expose more of her neck and collar bone so he could kiss her there. He moved down, and began to kiss around her exposed cleavage.

He could hear her moan and hum with pleasure, and he took a moment to glance up at her.

She was flushed, breathing hard, but seemed to be enjoying the moment.

He reached a hand down and started to untie her yutaka. Her eyes widened at this.

"Shi…Shikamaru, wait…WAIT," she said, grabbing his hand with an ironclad grip before he could finish.

He looked up at her surprised.


	4. Chapter 4

"What's wrong," said Shikamaru, moving his hand away just a little from the tie of her yutaka. Concern was laced in his voice, and he was looking up at her with worried eyes.

"N-Nothing…continue," she said firmly, releasing his hand and looking off to the side. Her mouth formed a tight line.

He looked up at her confused. "Temari, why are you—" he started, but she rounded on him suddenly.

"I said continue," she said loudly, face reflecting her irritation.

He flinched at the sound of her voice, then scowled slightly at her.

He moved away from her and shifted to a cross-legged seated position beside her. He crossed an arm over his lap in an effort to hide his distraction, but her knew he wasn't doing a very good job and tried not to care in that moment. He rested the other arm and elbow on his knee and leaned his head on it's hand. He looked at Temari with an annoyed expression on his face.

"You know…right now is probably not a good time to hide things from each other," he said with a tone frustration, though he couldn't help but feel the sting of hypocrisy at his own words as he shifted uncomfortably while his arm sat in his lap.

Temari rose to rest her back against the headboard of the bed. She left her legs outstretched and crossed them leisurely, and placed her hands in her lap — interlacing her finger together. She gave him a look that was a cross between boredom, irritation and attempted stoicism.

"I'm not hiding anything. I'm—" she started, but Shikamaru raised the hand out of his lap and held it in front of her.

"Stop. No more of that. Come on, please. Just tell me what's wrong. Why did you ask me to stop," he said, lifting his head off of his hand and looking at her concerned again.

"It was nothing, I—"

"Were you afraid about the way you look," he said, raising an eyebrow at her skeptically, "Because have you nothing to fear about that, I think you're—"

"Absolutely not," she said, loudly, glaring at him. "I happen to be very comfortable in my own skin, thank you very much. I'm gorgeous," she said, closing her eyes, smirking slightly and sticking her nose in the air.

He rolled his eyes at that, but continued, "well, were you worried about the act? My mom told me that lots of girls worry about the way it feels the first time, and some can get scared like this."

She looked at him hard. "Shikamaru. Do I strike you as someone who would be worried about pain like that?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, but said nothing. "Then…" He looked off to the side, not quite sure what else it could be.

She growled irritably.

"Shikamaru. I'm…I'm about to do something very serious for me. I'm…giving you my virginity. I'm letting a man take this part of me that I can't take back. I'm letting my guard down and giving up something to…a man…and part of my wants to see this as a weakness on my part.

And, although I want to give it to you an no one else, and although I am ready, I just…I suddenly realized what was happening and felt a little overwhelmed," she said, looking away from him with a deep frown on her face.

He looked at her with eyes wide. He should have known that this was a bigger deal to her than it actually seemed from the outside. Temari of the Sand, known for her animosity against any inequality between the sexes or questioning of her ability because of her sex — she felt ashamed to let a man have any form of control over her body. And…

"You're…you're nervous," he asked, slightly baffled.

She hissed at him in irritation, but said nothing.

Suddenly, he laughed at her. She glared at him — her face displaying her betrayal and her anger.

"Shikamaru," she hissed lowly.

"I'm not laughing at your nervousness," he said between fits of chuckles. "I'm laughing because I can't think of a single time in our lives together that I remember you ever being truly nervous about anything."

"I've been nervous about things before," she said, looking of to the side.

"Temari," he said, smiling at her warmly. "I'm nervous, too. I'm…" He looked off to the side and dropped his smile slightly, eyes shifting side to side a little as he said, "If I'm totally honest, I'm completely terrified." He closed his eyes tightly, then looked at her and said "but, I'm also very…excited, and happy. I want to do this. My eagerness is pushing the fear away."

She smirked at him and said, "Is that you talking or is that the thing you're trying and failing to cover with your arm trying to talk for you."

He rolled his eyes, and moved his arms completely out of his lap and off to his sides. "It's me, woman. You should know me well enough by now to be aware of that."

She smiled at him genuinely now, and said, "yes, that is one of the reasons why I like you so much." She moved over toward him and stood on her knees in front of him. "It's one of your few good qualities," she said, leaning down toward his face.

"Few," he asked, pulling back from her and raising an eyebrow, a mock tone of hurt in his voice.

She smiled at him and pulled him forcefully closer toward herself while she moved her lips closer toward his.

"Temari," he whispered against her lips, "I don't want to control you. I don't want to take anything away from you. I want to do this together. Do this with you."

She smiled against his lips, and kissed him.

* * *

Temari moved closer and closer to him eagerly, eventually placing one leg on one side of him and then the other — so that she eventually sat on his lap.

The heat of Temari's body against his own felt like fire. The natural warmth of her body heat and the friction caused by her rubbing up against his body was causing so much heat that it was overwhelming, and he was starting to feel a dizziness come over him as she pushed more and more into his body. Soon, he fell back onto the bed and the cool sheets touched his sweaty neck and could be felt through his wet shirt, making him realize — he was still wearing his shirt. He was tempted to remove it himself, but he didn't want to move and ruin the moment.

She straddled his waist and planted kisses on his jawline and exposed neck. As she moved further and further down his neck, she groaned in irritation at the high collar preventing her from continuing.

She began to push his shirt up his stomach, snaking her hand slowly up his stomach and chest toward his shoulders. Part of him was surprised by how good that felt — her fingers trailing lightly on his stomach and chest sent a twinge of electricity throughout his entire body. It made his toes curl.

He lifted up as she pulled the shirt free from his body and tossed it on the floor. He fell back, and she looked down into his eyes then moved to look down at his chest, fire in her eyes and a hungry smile on her lips.

"I know, pretty impressive," said Shikamaru, smirking at Temari knowingly.

She scowled at him, then leaned down at kissed his jawline, bitting at his ear in retaliation to his earlier comment. He hissed in protested, and she chuckled lightly before continuing. She kissed his neck, his shoulder, his chest, and began to kiss down his stomach. She looked up at him with heavy-lidded eyes and he looked down at her with wide eyes. Her chest rubbed up against his body as well, moving along with her as she moved down his body slowly.

"Uh, what are you—" he started hoarsely, but stopped when she suddenly got right to the edge of his pant line and looked up at him with a smirk. She moved away, and he sat up abruptly, hissing in annoyance and watching her warily as she moved off the bed and walked around the bed to get behind him.

She stood on her knees behind him and trailed her fingers onto his shoulders, neck, and back softly, making goosebumps rise. He shivered under her touch, and she smirked at how easily he responded.

She leaned around and kissed his neck, jawline and mouth — softly at first, then with increasing pressure. He had to admit, he liked that.

Soon after, she rose to her knees and grabbed his hair to pull his head backward. She pulled firmly, but not so hard that it hurt too much. She kissed him just as firmly, nipping and sucking at his lip and swirling her tongue in his mouth. They both breathed deeply and moaned lightly. Admittedly, he liked this much more.

She snaked her hand down his stomach slowly, and soon arrived at her destination. She slid her hand down and felt the bulge in his pants. She couldn't help but blush slightly, a little surprised at what she felt.

When when her warm hand touched him, he could feel it, even through the thick fabric of his pants. He moaned lowly, and her confidence grew.

She moved her hand slowly, up and down, earning a sharp intake of breath from him.

She pulled her mouth away from him and looked him in the eye for a moment, as if asking for permission. Earning no protest, she looked down at his lap and started to undo his zipper and button, glancing up at him once as if asking him once more if he was still okay with her doing this.

There was no way in hell he was turning back now. There was a greater part of him that hated the idea of him letting this part of his body make any sort of decision. But right now, he really could care less. He wanted her. Badly. There had to be some good in that decision, right?

She moved back up and kissed him again, kissing his lips, jawline, and his neck. She ran her tongue along his neck as she trailed her hand down his stomach and toward his pants again. He bit his bottom lip in anticipation, inhaling air slowly as she got closer and closer.

She could feel the ripples of his abs under her fingers and she moved down his stomach. She reached the line of his boxers, and debated on whether or not she should take the full leap or…

No. She didn't want to wait any more. She snaked her fingers under the band of his boxers and she heard him stop breathing for a moment. She continued. She felt hair, and soon she felt something a little warm and smooth. But still, she noticed he wasn't breathing or making a sound. She paused. She moved away from his neck and looked at him. He had his eyes closed tightly and was biting his bottom lip. She snorted and removed her hand, moving to sit beside him.

His face relaxed and his eyes widened in surprise as he looked at her. Then he scowled.

"I swear to god, woman…if you are picking a time like this to pick on me I am going to kill you," he hissed.

"No, no. It's just, Shikamaru. Please, relax. I know it's our first time but…I just saw your face and you looked like you were in pain," she said with a chuckle. "I'm trying to make you feel good, not tense up. Come on," she said, reaching to touch the inside of his thigh. "Relax and let me help you feel good."

His eyes widened slightly, then he looked away from her. He looked down, chuckled slightly, and pinched his nose bridge. He could feel himself tensing up during that whole thing, but didn't realize what was actually happening. He wasn't really letting himself enjoy it fully. He wasn't even watching it — and had he told himself that he wanted to watch everything.

He turned and half-smiled at her warmly, looking at her heavy-lidded. Then, he suddenly lunged at her, making her gasp in surprise as he pushed her onto her back and moved his body between her legs again. "You know, I love you so much," he whispered.

"I know. Who wouldn't, I'm pretty great," she said, smirking him. He rolled his eyes and leaned down to kiss her softly.

He pulled up and looked down at her nervously as he said, "Temari, I…can I…I want to…"

"What is it," she said, brow furrowing.

"I want to see you," he said, looking at he pleadingly. "You're…beautiful, Tem. Let me see you, please."

She blushed, and looked at him with wide eyes. "I…" she started, looking off to the side.

"Come on. Would it make you feel better if I take everything off, too," he asked.

She looked up at him with pursed lips. Then, she smirked deviously. "Take it all off, Shikamaru."

He stared at her for a moment, processing exactly what she just said. "You mean…you—"

"Take off all of your clothes, Shikamaru," she said, continuing to smirk at him.

"Why me? What about you," he asked brow furrowing.

"It would 'make me feel better' if you went first. Go on, take it all off," she said, beginning to grin.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Temari…"

"What, are you scared," she asked.

"What, no? Why would I be—" he started, but she interrupted him.

"Then why aren't you doing it," she asked, brow raising slightly, obviously amused. "Are you…" She looked down between them and continued, "ashamed of something?"

His eyes widened at that. He knew exactly what she was doing and there was no way in hell he was going to fall for it.

 _And yet…_

He scowled at her. "Woman, I think you should be perfectly aware of whether or not I have anything to be ashamed of. I am very comfortable with myself."

She smirked at him again. "I mean…I don't really know anything. Your pants were in the way, and—"

"Temari, for god's sake. Are we going to keep doing this all night? I know you're not ashamed of your body, and you know I'm not ashamed of mine. You know I think you're beautiful, and I know you apparently think I'm okay looking or else you wouldn't be here now. This is your nerves talking again. And I won't let you get trapped in them," he said, looked at her firmly. He moved off the bed and stood on the side of the bed. He put his thumbs through the waistbands of his pants and underwear, and looked at her determined.

"Temari, if I do this, we can't go back. I want to do this. I know you want to as well. Will you do this with me," he asked, looking at her with such a fierceness that she was stunned.

She blushed slightly, but nodded in agreement, and moved to sit up from the bed to sit on the edge of the bed.

* * *

He was bigger than she expected.

Part of her wanted to close her eyes and turn away out of embarrassment. Part of her wanted to hit him and tell him to cover up out of embarrassment. Part of her wanted to come up with some sort of joke to crack about it in order to belittle it or make it less…well…

But, she couldn't quite take her eyes off of it. She knew getting angry wasn't the answer and all she really felt were tinkles of surprise and…lust. And…she couldn't bring herself to belittle it because…

"Shikamaru…" she started, and finally tore her eyes away from it after what felt like an eternity.

He was standing with his hand covering his face, and she couldn't quite tell if he was embarrassed by her staring or something else.

"Are you alright," she asked, starting to move off the bed but then froze once she looked down again and saw…that thing…in front of her again.

Suddenly, he snorted with laughter. Her eyes widened.

"The way you are looking at it…I'm sorry…I just…I can't," he said, shaking with laughter.

She forced herself to look up at his face as she crossed her arms angrily.

He removed his hand from his face and moved it to the side. He began walk toward her, and she abruptly turned her head away, which made him smirk.

He stopped in front of her, noticing the way she tensed and inhaled sharply as he placed a hand on her knee.

He squatted down on the floor in front of her and looked up at her. "I'm sorry. That wasn't very fair of me."

He was tempted to make a joke, but held his tongue, realizing that her foot sat in a particularly dangerous position.

"I hope I didn't ruin the moment. I still want to see you. I'm sure you'll laugh much harder at my reaction," he said rolling his eyes.

She glanced down at him and saw the way he was looking up at her. She signed inwardly.

"Alright," she said, relaxing her arms. She looked down at him and gave him a small smile. "Should I stand up like you did?"

"Only if you want to," he said.

She looked off to the side in contemplation, then looked back at him. "We're doing this together, remember? Move, I'll stand up. You sit here."

He stood and moved away so that she could stand. When she stood beside him for a moment, their eyes met and they both paused. She moved forward and pressed her body up against his, pulling his head down to meet hers as she kissed him.

She could feel him harden between them, and she couldn't help but smile at this. She let go of him and pulled away, fighting the urge to glance down between them as she moved to stand where he stood before.

He moved as calmly as he could to sit down, and she couldn't help but turn to look at him from behind. He felt her eyes on him, and he couldn't help but snort in laughter as he turned back around to face her and take his place on the bed.

She grinned at him, feeling no shame in having gotten caught.

He crossed his legs and rested his right arm and elbow on his knee and leaned his head on it's hand. He looked at her expectantly, a smirk on his face.

* * *

She reached down and pulled the first tie to her yutaka, her mind racing.

As she undid the knot and it fell to the floor, she started to feel that something wasn't quite right.

Shikamaru looked up from the tie and looked at Temari's eyes, noticing the discomfort there. She moved to the large sash around her waist, and was about to untie it when he said, "wait, stop," and began to move off the bed toward her.

She looked at him in surprise.

He looked her in the eye and placed his hands on her hands that were still on her sash. He whispered, "Can I…" but didn't finish the statement before she moved her hands away, and moved her hands on top of his hands before he could move away. She nodded once, giving him permission before she removed her hands and placed them around his neck.

They continued to look at one another as he undid the sash. It fell to the floor and her yutaka began to loosen and open around her body. Shikamaru reached up to remove her hands from his neck, and moved to stand behind her, continuing to look her in the eye, never looking down even though he wanted to.

He placed two fingers on either side underneath her collar and slide them down slowly, starting from close to behind her neck and running down toward her collar bones. As he did so, he leaned into her and moved to kiss her cheek, her ear, her jawline. He soon kissed his way down her neck and when he reached as certain spot she started to melt into him, leaning into his body and relaxing.

He slowly pulled her yutaka down her shoulders, exposing the tan-colored flesh underneath and the dark purple straps of her bra. As he pulled, he couldn't help but glance downward and as he did so he saw the dark purple satin of her bra. It was nothing special, he knew — there was no lace or ornament. He knew women like Ino would turn their nose up to it, complaining about it's lack of femininity or the excess coverage it gave. But it was very much…Temari. Sexy without even trying.

As the yutaka fell away, one more tie revealed itself on the inside, near her waist. He reached down to undo this, and it fell to the floor in a pool around her feet. He looked at what was left, and she was wearing black shorts with netting along the bottom and her purple bra.

Then, he looked at her back and saw it. The thing that apparently was the most annoying thing on the planet for the average man to remove from a woman. He had heard some of the older jounin complain about this article of clothing during their insipid talks about their late night encounters with women. Now, he was staring it in the face and…

He furrowed his brow slightly, reached down and undid it.

Temari smiled slightly. She was impressed, but not totally surprised. This was Shikamaru we were dealing with, and something as simple as a bra wouldn't baffle him. But she couldn't keep herself from asking.

She turned to look at him and smirked. She held her hands into the bra, keeping it from falling away completely. "Just like that, huh? I'm impressed," she said.

He raised an eyebrow at her and said, "what, really? It's just a simple hook and eye closure. I just—" but he stopped abruptly as she let the bra fall to the floor in front of herself.

He sucked in air as his eyes widened and his mouth closed tightly.

This was not the first time he had seen breasts before. Between Naruto's Harem Jutsu, the dirty magazines his friends like Kiba passed around his collection of friends and the many times he had been forced to dress quickly and in close quarters around female team members…he was no stranger to female anatomy.

But, with Temari, everything was different.

He appreciated the curves of her body and had for years — longer than he would like to admit.

But what he liked best about her was that she was coarse in places like the sandy desert she came from, and soft like the smile she gave him, and only him, in private.

She wasn't presenting herself on a regular basis in a way that was overly-sexual, but she had the ability to surprise him with her naughtiness and it didn't take much from her to turn him on.

He inwardly laughed at the irony of it all. Nothing about those fake female Naruto's, the women clad in sexy lingerie or lack there of in Kiba's magazines, nor the nakedness of other very real and very close females did anything to peak his interest sexually.

But Temari…she did nothing extraordinarily and was able to arouse him on a drop of a dime.

And now, she stood in front of him topless. He could actually feel his mouth getting wetter. What was he, a dog?

But, oh wow…he had never seen breasts like hers before. They were beautiful. They were perfectly rounded and her nipples were small, perky and pink.

He actually felt a strange inch in his hands. He wanted to touch them, but he was suddenly…unsure…

Why? What was stopping him? She did take her bra off. Surely she was inviting him to do…something.

But…wait…what if she doesn't…

They jiggle a lot when she laughs. It's actually pretty mesmerizing…

Wait, she's laughing?

He looked up at her with a furrowed brow, and she was smirking at him, chuckling softly at him.

"I suppose we are even now, wouldn't you say," she said, grinning at him.

His mouth gaped open at her for a moment, processing what she said. Then he narrowed his eyes and scowled. "If you only did that to get back at me, woman, then…" his express relaxed, and he looked down, noticing what staring so long had done to his body. "I suppose we are even," he said with a lift chuckle.

She walked toward him, and he looked up at her abruptly. She was looking up at him with heavy-lidded eyes and a smirk.

When she reached him, she remained a good few inches away from him, leaving space between them. She reached up and pulled his head down to meet hers, and she kissed him.

As she did so, she reached down with her other hand and snaked her fingers along his stomach, earning a sharp gasp from him. As her fingers inched lower and lower, she noticed that he narrowed bed closer toward her, and his kisses grew deeper without her doing anything.

Finally, she slid her fingers softly along his cock, which she felt pulse underneath her fingers.

She traced a few fingers around the tip, then wrapped her fingers around it and slowly began to pump. He moaned lowly in response, moving away from her mouth and kissing her jawline and neck.

"You need to tell me what you need, Shikamaru," she whispered.

"Tighter," whispered in her ear huskily, sending shivers down her spine. She gripped him tighter, continuing her slow pumping. He moved up from her jawline and kissed her lips, moaning into her her mouth, a little louder than before.

He reached a hand between them, and touched her cheek, then her neck, then her shoulder. He then traced her collarbone, then moved his hand down slowly over her right breast. She gasped in surprise as his hand grazed over an overly sensitive nipple.

He noticed this, and began to cup her breast in his hand. He began to grip it slightly, to which she responded by letting her head fall back slightly. He leaned forward and kissed her neck.

He moved his thumb toward her nipples, which were standing at attention. He rubbed a thumb over them, and she sucked in breath.

So, he moved his thumb back and forth across her nipples, earning a small moan from her. But he wasn't totally satisfied.

He leaned toward her ear and whispered "tell me what you want."

"Pinch…them…" she said, between breaths.

He immediately obliged, but she hissed. "A little softer at first. Harder…later, maybe."

He raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing and did what she said. He pinched her nipple softly between his thumb and pointer finger, and she responded by biting her lip and…

She started to pump him harder, much to his surprise. His knees almost buckled out from underneath him.

"Temari…" he whispered over labored breathing, but she interrupted him.

"Touch me," she said, possibly a little louder than necessary.

It took him a moment, between everything that what happening, to process what she said. He was getting incredibly annoyed at how long it was taking him to process certain bits of information.

"You…you want me to…"

She reach to grab his other hand and pulled it down to touch her though her pants. She looked up at him, ceasing to move her hand on his cock though keeping her hand in place. "Here, Shikamaru. Touch me."

His eyes widened and his face reddened slightly. Her abruptness and her demanding voice was…surprising. But was also doing things to him.

"Tell me what you want me to do to you," he said, looking her in the eyes.

She smirked, and moved his hand up and down against her sex, pressing it closer into herself.

She bit her bottom lip, and moved her hand away. "Keep going," she whispered, starting to slowly stroke him again, matching the rhythm of his rubs.

He soon felt a heat under his hand — not totally generated by his rubbing, he knew.

He moved his hands away and placed them on her hand that was starting to pump him harder.

She opened her eyes and looked at him quizzically as he stopped her, pulling himself from her grasp. He walked around her to stand behind her as she watched him, and leaned a head down to kiss her shoulder. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her closer to his body, and she gasped lightly as she felt him against her lower back.

He trailed kisses from her shoulder up her neck to her lips. She leaned against him, breathing rapidly.

He slid a hand across her waist and touched her middle again, and she let out a breathy moan as he continued to rub her slowly.

After a moment, he moved his hand away and up her waist slowly, earning an irritated moan from Temari. He smiled at this, but continued.

He traced the band of her pants, slipping fingers against it and her skin. She gasped in surprise at the sudden contact.

He slid his hand slowly inside her pants, and felt a small tuff of hair. The lower he got, he more she leaned into him.

When he reached it, he was surprised and what he felt. She was so warm and already so wet…

He slid his middle finger between her wet slit, earning a loud moan from Temari. He moved it up an down, then felt the small nub he was looking for and started to focus his attention on it. She gasped and said his name in surprised.

He continued, and she urged him to move faster. He obliged, and she moaned loudly, her knees starting to buckle. Soon, he felt her clench her legs tighter around his hand, and under his finger he felt a pulsing. She moaned his name hoarsely, and then started to fall to the floor with Shikamaru in tow. She sat in his lap, resting her head against his chest. He removed his hand from her pants, noticing that it was covered in her cum.

They were silent for a moment. Temari was trying to catch her breath. Shikamaru was grinning from ear to ear.

Temari glanced at him, and smirked. "You, uh…you seem quite proud of yourself."

"Yes, yes I am," he said, turning to look at her, grin still plastered on his face.

"Well, it's not like that was my first orgasm ever, you know," she said, rolling her eyes.

His grin finished slightly, but he continued. "I didn't assume it was. But it was our first one. And it was the first one I gave you. How was it?"

She looked away, biting her lip. "It…was actually really good."

"Well, the night isn't finished," said Shikamaru, leaning closer to her and smirking.

She chuckled, swatted him away and said, "yeah, yeah, you pervert." She glanced away, then bit her lip again as a blush creeped up on her face. She looked back at him, and smirked, "alright, I'll give. What did you have in mind?"

Shikamaru grinned at her mischievously, then glanced down at her pants. "We'll have to do something about those."


	5. Chapter 5

"So, have you two done it yet?"

Temari's head snapped toward the doorway of her office in Suna, face red and mouth gaping open slightly.

She had been looking toward the wall in her office, at a small couch sitting between two bookcases. She was daydreaming about her upcoming visit to the Shinobi Union — more specifically, she was daydreaming about a certain shinobi.

She wasn't easily distracted by things like daydreaming or men — she prided herself in not being as flighty as other women when it came to those things and she was proud to have the ability to separate herself from those things — especially while working.

But, upon later reflection, she realized that she had never really had any interest in any man before. Most were too boring, too wimpy, too egotistical, too perverted…too much of so many other bad qualities that she never felt anything for them. But, he was different. He had always been different from every other guy she had encountered over the years. She knew that was what attracted her to him, but even beyond that…

She realized that he was beginning to consume her thoughts in ways she wasn't used to. Everything reminded her of him — from the food she tasted at restaurants they usually frequented (which she happened to eat at frequently herself) to the paperwork she worked on usually having something to do with work they had done together. From the couch where they usually sat as they worked in her office to her favorite place to sit and watch the stars at night (the roof of the Kazekage residence where she lived with her brothers.)

It became difficult to get him off her mind, and she had been having more moments of daydreaming than she would care to admit — and some people where beginning to notice, much to her distain. It happened more often when she knew she was going to see him soon — or when she was particularly tired. She had been working all night in order to get some work done in advance before she left, and hadn't gotten any rest.

And thankfully, the only people to notice these moments of weakness were people who were close to her. Her brothers, primarily. But this time, Gaara's assistant and her close friend, Matsuri, stood by her door and was grinning at her knowingly.

Temari scowled at her and said angrily, "First off, that's extremely inappropriate. What if the Kazekage heard you? And second, that's none of your business."

Matsuri laughed and walked into her office, shutting the door behind herself.

"Kankuro seems to suggest otherwise," said Matsuri, smirking. She moved to sit in one of the chairs in front of Temari's desk and continued. "He said you two stay at the same hotel when you are away for business at the Union and you usually know his room number because you always go to visit him and—"

"Kankuro was wrong, and I'm going to choke him with his hat for telling you all of that," said Temari angrily.

"I had figured he was, but it's still fun to tease you about this," said Matsuri with a chuckle.

Temari narrowed her eyes at Matsuri and said, "watch it. You wouldn't want me to tell Gaara how you really feel about him, now, would you?"

Matsuri rolled her eyes. "You can't threaten me with that, Temari. Besides, he already knows."

"What? He does," said Temari, eyes widening slightly.

"Yes," said Matsuri, looking off to the side.

"What happened," asked Temari, moving toward the edge of her seat.

Matsuri shook her head and smiled at Temari, saying, "he said nothing. it's not important. What is important is you and Shikamaru. So…are you going to sleep with him when you go to visit him this time?"

"I said that's none of your business!"

"So that's a yes? You didn't say no…"

"Matsuri!"

"Definitely a yes."

"MATSURI!"

* * *

Temari grinned as she walked through the snow to the hotel. _Matsuri was right,_ she thought. _She'll never know that, of course. But still…_

Temari looked to her left and saw Shikamaru looking ahead at the hotel. To any person who didn't know him well enough, he looked stoic — like an ordinary man trudging through the snow. But because she knew him well enough, and knew his facial expressions like the back of her hand, she saw traces of nervousness and anxiety in his face. It was most apparent in his eyes.

She reached and grabbed his hand, much to his surprise. He stopped walked, turned and looked at her, and she looked up at him and smiled reassuringly, as if to say "we are in this together."

He returned the smile, gripping her hand slightly before continuing on, still holding her hand.

* * *

She stood in front of him, a small smirk planted on her lips. He remained sitting on the ground, legs crossed, leaning onto the elbow resting on his knee and jaw planted on his smaller knuckles. He was staring up at her heavily-lidded, but hunger was written all over his face.

She slid her thumbs into the band of her pants and pulled them down slowly, arching her back and leaning forward slightly as she did so. She never broke eye contact with him as she slowly slid her pants off and they soon fell to the floor at her feet. She stepped out of them, and stood straight up in front of him, hands on her hips, wearing nothing but her dark purple satin underwear. He glanced away from her eyes and looked up and down her body.

In the back of his mind he was kicking his younger self, wondering why he hadn't truly, truly noticed her body before now.

Perhaps it was because he saw her for more than her body. He was sure that was it. Sex was never the most important thing in their relationship, anyway.

But boy…her body was something that he shouldn't have ignored, either. It was incredible. And he hadn't quite seen all of it yet. He was anxious to see more.

She walked over to him and said with a low purr, "I want you to do the last part."

 _GLADLY_ , his inner voice shouted, eyes widening excitedly and mouth salivating. But he knew that was just his hormones talking in the moment.

Outwardly, he smirked up at her and grabbed her hips, pulling her to stand closer in front of him. And when he did that, from where he sat, he noticed that his face was perfectly parallel to her hips and middle. His smirk widened a little more at this as ideas for the future started to flood into his mind.

* * *

Temari and Shikamaru stood in the elevator on the ride up from the hotel lobby, trying to recover from the awkward encounter they had with the hotel front desk clerk. Shikamaru had his face pointed down toward the floor and was pinching his nose bridge while his eyes were squeezed closed tightly. Temari was looking at the doors, biting her bottom lip uncomfortably and blushing profusely.

"Well," she said quietly. "That was…an experience. But at least we won't ever have to deal with that again at this hotel. Look, next time, maybe just one of us should come and check in or something…alone…"

"I'm not sure if that will help," said Shikamaru irritably.

"Well, if we're going to keep doing this, we have to expect things like this to happen occasionally," said Temari.

"I suppose you're right," said Shikamaru, looking up at the door.

After a while, he smiled slightly and said quietly, "worth it."

Temari glanced at him and snorted lightly before she too smiled and said, "yeah."

"Hey…Tem…" he said, continuing to look at the door. He was biting his bottom lip uncomfortably.

"Hm," she said, turning to look at him.

"What, um…" he started, but hesitated, frowning slightly. He looked away from her and his face reddened lightly. "How did you want to do it the first time?"

Her eyes widened slightly. "Wh…what," she whispered.

"What, uh…" he started again, still looking away from her. But then, he took a deep breath and then turned to look at her — a blush coloring his cheeks. "What position?"

"O-oh…well, uh…" her face reddened and she looked away from him quickly. "I don't know…"

"You haven't thought about it," he asked.

"I…I have but…"

"But what?"

"I don't know."

"So what did you imagine that we did together?"

She turned at glared at him. "How about you answer that question first?"

His eyes widened, then narrowed slightly. "Okay, then, I will. I imagined us doing it on my bed at home in Konoha, on my desk at the Union, on your office couch in Suna, at my favorite cloud watching spot in the Nara Clan Forest, and a few other random places…but I imagined being on top a lot, though you being you eventually took control of the situation and moved to be on top of me."

Her eyes widened at her mouth gaped open.

He smirked at her, and she shut her mouth quickly, scowling at him.

"Hmph," she said irritably. "I imagined us doing it on my couch at my office in Suna, your desk at the Union, my desk at the Union, the roof of the Kazekage Residence, my ambassador suite in Konoha, and a few other places…and…" she hesitated, and looked away from him.

"And," he said, a little hoarsely.

"I want you to be on top the first time," she said, turning to look at him with a smirk.

"Alright. You know, you could've just said that before…"

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes and looking back at the elevator doors.

"But wait…you didn't tell me what positions you imagined us in. I told you," he said, scowling slightly.

She turned back toward him and smirked. "Oh, it's the same stuff you imagined. Though, once or twice you laid me on a desk on my stomach and took me from behind."

The ding of the elevator sounded and the door opened. Temari turned and walked out into the hallway, looking back over he should at Shikamaru. "Coming?"

He was standing in the elevator, mouth hanging open as he looked at her. She smirked at him and turned to walk down the hall toward the room, not waiting for him.

* * *

He slid his pointer and middle fingers into each side of her underwear at the hip and pulled it down slowly. As he did so, he leaned forward and kissed her stomach — above her belly button, just below it, then on the soft skin where the band of her underwear sat. As he pulled the fabric down from her hips he continued to trail kisses, earning a small shiver from her as his lips touched softer, more sensitive areas.

He moved away and pulled her underwear the rest of the way down — once stopping to lean forward and kiss the outer part of her thigh, her shin and planting a final kiss on the top of her foot. Her eyes widened in surprise at that, but she said nothing.

She moved to step out of the piece of clothing and he moved it out of the way. Then he turned and looked forward at her middle — something which caused her to blush unconsciously.

He just stared for a while, and she looked down at him, watching his face for any signs of expression or reaction. But he didn't move. He just…stared.

Something about it all made her feel a little uncomfortable, and his silence was starting to tick her off.

She took a breath of air to ready herself to say something when he suddenly looked up at her. The look he gave her made her stop before she could start.

He looked at her as if she were some sort of goddess, and he had just received some sort of enlightenment from her. He looked up at her with such reverence that she was a little concerned.

"Temari," he said, his voice a little weak. "You're…you're beautiful. There is no woman alive more beautiful than you."

She looked at him bewildered and said uncomfortably, "uh…what?"

"You're so beautiful. Every part of you. I don't know why it's taking me so many years to really realize it. But it's true. You are beautiful," he said, smiling at her.

"I'm…what? Huh? Are you okay," she said nervously, taking a step back away from him.

His smile faltered slightly, but stayed on his lips. He looked her up and down once then placed a hand over has face, covering his eyes. "Ugh, I can be an idiot sometimes. I can't believe it's taken me this long to notice your beauty. Really notice it this way. And now, I'm freaking you out because I never say anything about it…I never give you the compliments you deserve. I promise I will change that, Temari. I will tell you that you are beautiful more often. You deserve to hear it more, because it's so true. So, so true."

She stared at him with eyes wide, mouth moving listlessly but no words coming out.

Then suddenly, she looked at him hard, then smirked at him and said, "saying it too often isn't like you. I know I'm beautiful. I don't need to be constantly reminded of that fact."

He rolled his eyes at her and said, "but it's as if I never say it…I want you to know that I think you're beautiful, Tem. And I don't want that statement to freak you out — I want it to flatter you."

She smiled at him genuinely now and stepped back over to him, squatting down to look at him eye to eye and touching a hand to his cheek. "I am flattered, really. Perhaps I was more freaked out about the way you looked at me and the precise moment you chose to tell me that."

Shikamaru grinned at her and said, "I was in awe of you. You really are beautiful." He glanced down to the place between her legs and said lowly, "Everywhere."

A blush came to her cheeks again, but she said confidently with a small smirk, "of course I am," and winked at him, to which he responded with another eye roll.

Suddenly, she pushed him hard against his shoulders. So hard that he fell back against the floor with a thud. He looked up at her in surprise and she moved into that same position she was in earlier — that crawling kitten stance. Except this time, she was naked, much to his delight. He watched her and she walked up his body, stopping and glancing down at his pulsing erection with a smirk. She slowly leaned her face down toward it, not breaking eye contact with him. As she got closer and closer, his eyes widened slightly. Soon, she reached it and stuck her tongue out, touching the tip of it gently but quickly. He felt his face heat up and knew he was beginning to blush.

She soon touched it with her tongue again, running her tongue around the diameter of the tip. She soon snaked her tongue around toward the back of the tip, sliding it around the bundle of nerves that sat there.

Part of him wondered how she knew to do any of that. And part of him didn't care because it felt too damn good. He would just ask her later.

She soon slid the tip into her mouth, and he sucked in air at the sudden change and unexpected warmth of her mouth. She chuckled lightly, and he felt the vibration on her tongue. He hissed quietly in surprise.

She slide her mouth painstakingly slowly down the shaft and he bit his bottom lip and narrowed his eyes slightly in response. _Was she trying to torture him,_ he thought. _Eh, probably._ And for some reason, he was actually ok with it.

She got about halfway down and stopped, sliding back up slowly. Then she moved back down, stopped in the same spot, then moved back up. She did this several times, which Shikamaru responded with a low, breathy moan.

She soon started to drift lower and lower down the shaft, and when she got a little less than three quarters of the way down he felt the back of her throat. She moved one of her hands over to grip the base of him as she moved her mouth back up to the tip. Then she proceeded to lick the tip again, then trailed her way down the shaft and back up again. He shuddered and moaned.

Then she moved back up to the tip, sliding passed her lips and into her mouth, and she slowly slid it into her mouth again — back down to the same place. She slowly slid her mouth back up, then slid it back down again a little faster. She repeated the process, increasing her speed with each stroke. Shikamaru cursed lowly and reached a hand out to touch her head — a strange instinct he didn't expect from himself, but he found that it almost made him feel…connected to her, and somehow steadied because he was feeling very…

Suddenly, she moaned lowly, and his hips almost bucked from the vibration he felt from her mouth. _Where did she learn to do this stuff,_ he thought, not for the first time.

He felt like he was dangerously close to the edge. He had to stop her. This wasn't what he wanted. But damn, it felt so good. It was hard to get her to stop.

"T…Tem…ari," he moaned breathlessly. "St-stop…I'll….don't want to….feels too good…stop please…"

Her eyes widened in panic and she moved her mouth off of him quickly, lifting up from him and backing off of him to sit on the ground next him.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't…I wasn't thinking…"

He was still recovering and was staring at the ceiling with heavy-lidded eyes, breathing rapidly. When he felt like he could talk clearly, he turned his head to look at her and smiled meekly. "It's okay, really. I should have stopped you way earlier. It's my fault. But it was…it was too good…"

Her eyes widened at that and she blushed lightly, but she quickly recovered with a smirk.

"Where did you learn to do all of that," he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Lessons for kunoichi, reading and paying attention to things that older men and women say in conversation," she said, shrugging. "Not from experience, if that's what you're thinking," she finished, eyes narrowing at him.

"No, no, I didn't think that. I would've been surprised if you told me that. I thought maybe your brothers or—"

"HA," she said with a snort or laughter, rolling her eyes. "Like Kankuro would share that kind of information with me. And Gaara? Do you think he even knows that women can do that to his dick?"

"He probably knows about that," said Shikamaru, rolling his eyes at her.

"Your right. He probably does. But does he know the finer details or have it in him to discuss the details with his big sister? No way," she said crossing her arms with a smirk planted on her face. "Knowing the details requires some experience…perhaps even some self exploration, too. Do you think that Gaara has touched—"

"I don't want think about what the Kazekage has or hasn't done sexually," said Shikamaru loudly and firmly, shaking his head.

"Neither do I, quite frankly" said Temari with a light laugh. "Sorry for getting carried away."

"Anyway, you were good. Really good. Really really really good," he said, smiling at her genuinely.

She couldn't help but return the smile.

"But," he said, sitting up, "the night is not done." He rose to his feet and looked down at her. "Shall I carry you to bed or will you come yourself," he said, smirking at her and extending a hand out to help her up off the floor.

Not for the first time, she rolled her eyes at him, but returned the smirk and took his hand to get up from the floor.

When she got to her feet, she was standing close to him. She looked up at him and he looked down at her with a warm smile on his face. She felt a blush come to her face, and she reached her arms up and around his neck. He responded by placing his arms around her waist and pulling her close to his body, to which she responded with a small gasp. He leaned down and kissed her.

It was strange but also pleasant to feel his naked body against her own. He was surprisingly warm and and his skin soft.

He moved his mouth away from her lips and down her jaw toward her ear. When he reached it, he whispered, "hold on tight to me."

"Wha—" she started, but didn't have time to finish.

He leaned down and reached his hands down and behind her to grab her thighs and pull them to straddle his waist.

She blushed deeply at this, but said nothing, holding onto his neck for support.

He walked her over to the bed and laid her down with a surprising amount of gentility and looked down at her, expression serious but eyes warm.

"Are you ready," he murmured.

She nodded, and leaned up to kiss him briefly but passionately.

He smiled down at her, then looked down between then. He inhaled quietly, then reached a hand down between them.

She decided not to look at the process. She looked at his face, but didn't look down between them. But she felt everything, including the hand that slid down between them.

She felt him slide himself near the place between her legs, and she felt him slide it down her wet slit before he reached his destination.

He slowly pushed forward into her, meeting some resistance. He knew to expect that. He had to take things slow. He also had to fight against releasing the string of curses that threatened to escape from his mouth as he felt her for the first time.

She knew to expect some pain. She had braced herself for that. She tried not to show the pain she felt in that moment so as not to worry him.

He pulled out, then moved back in just as slowly. He met less resistance and moved further in. He hissed quietly, and heard Temari gasp quietly.

He pulled back out and pushed back in; again, feeling less resistance and moving further in.

He looked at her, and she had her eyes squeezed shut.

"D-does it hurt? I can stop or try—" he started but she interrupted him by kissing his lips.

"No. I don't want to stop. I want this. The pain is going away. Please continue," she said. Her voice sounded a little hoarse.

He nodded and continued the process — in and out, slowly. Soon, he was completely inside her and could feel the heat of her on ever inch of himself. He was beginning to see the appeal of this for other men — there was truly nothing better.

He did this at least 20 more times, if not more, and though it was enjoyable, he wanted more. He wanted to move faster. He glanced up at Temari again and saw her face - she looked very relaxed, but not in ecstasy. He wanted her writhing. He wanted her moaning his name. He wanted to make her cum. He wasn't getting anywhere like this.

So suddenly, he picked up the speed, smirking at her. She opened her eyes suddenly, glancing at him in surprise.

"Tell me what you want, women," he said huskily.

She scowled at him but it lost its effect when she suddenly let out a low moan of pleasure.

His smirk widened at that.

He leaned down and laid his body against hers. He really liked the way it felt to feel her body against his while he did this to her.

He leaned down toward her ear, nipping at her earlobe. Then he whispered lowly, "Tell me what you need."

"Faster," she said quickly but with a moan. She moved her arms and legs around his neck and hips, pulling him closer. He guessed that he was not the only one who liked this closeness.

He moved faster, and their breathing increased. She moaned again when he moved inside her particularly hard.

 _So, was that what she liked,_ he though. _Harder, then?_

He repeated the move, and she moaned again.

He repeated it once more, and her moan got louder.

 _Yeah, definitely harder._

So he repeated the move, and moved faster. He heard her gasp loudly and he felt her reach up to touch his hair. When he pushed especially hard, she gripped at his hair and started to pull it slightly. It wasn't unpleasant — he actually found himself getting more turned on by it.

"That's good, Shikamaru," she murmured in his ear. "More of that…"

He continued, and she continued to moan loudly before she suddenly started to tap his shoulder and say, "w-wait, wait, I want to do something. Shikamaru, hey."

He slowed and stopped, and rose to look down at her.

"I want to be on top," she said, grinning at him. Her face was flushed as she was still breathing rapidly, chest rising and falling. Her hair was splayed out around her head. She looked gorgeous to him.

His eyes widened slightly, then he snorted and looked down, then looked at her with a small smile. "Okay, but can we do something else first?"

"What's that," she said, eyebrow raised.

He smiled deviously at her and said, "get on you knees, women. You said you wanted it from behind. I'm going to give it to you."


	6. Chapter 6 (corrected)

A special thanks to ayingChan and kartaaaa for letting me know that I posted the wrong chapter! Thank you so much!

* * *

Temari's eyes widened in surprise.

"I didn't think…you…" she started, but hesitated to get it all out.

Shikamaru smirked at her. "Hmm?"

"I didn't think you would be into that," brow raised slightly. "You're not just doing it for me, are you?"

His smirk grew and he said, "definitely not. You put that idea in my head in the elevator and now I can't get it out. I'm doing this because I want to do it to you."

She eyed him skeptically.

"So, get on your knees, woman," he said. He leaned down close to her ear and whispered, "or do you need help?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Help? Please, I—"

Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation around her wrists. Then, a mysterious tightening grip around each wrist. She gasped in surprise as her arms were lifted up above her head and pulled tightly together, and when she instinctively tried to move them apart defensively, she found that the grip was as firm as iron.

She looked at Shikamaru in shock, and he smirked at her knowingly.

"I'll ask again," he said with a low growl. "Do you need help?"

Her eyes narrowed again and her face flushed. She scowled at him, but she knew that he was aware of he fact that she was honestly enjoying this. He heard her moan ever so slightly as he growled at her in her ear, much to her destain.

She only nodded her head slightly — a sign for him to continue and a small admission of her condition, but she would give him nothing else.

And he decided not to push for more. At least, not this time.

Instead, he smirked again, then pulled up and away from her body to stand on the floor at the edge of the bed.

She looked at him in surprise, and suddenly felt that same strange sensation now tightening around her ankles.

She felt her hands be pulled apart and pulled to her sides, and she felt her body being pulled up so that she was sitting on her behind. She glanced at him, and he was looking at her with his arms crossed, smirking in amusement. She scowled at him angrily and before she could say something in protest, she soon felt her body being pulled forward and upward. She was soon sitting on her knees, looking straight at him.

Then, she suddenly felt her body fall forward, and she gasped in surprise. She moved her hands forward slightly, crawling with one hand after the other. She looked up at him, face burning with a fresh blush, and noticed the newly lit fire in his eyes, despite the smirk still planted firmly on his lips.

"You're obvious enjoying this," she said sarcastically a small scowl on her face.

"I like you crawling like that," he said, voice a little hoarse. "It's incredibly sexy. The angles on everything is amazing."

"Oh really," she said, smiling coyly. She arched her back slightly. "All the angles?"

"All the angles," he said, voice slightly deep. She chuckled in response.

Suddenly, she felt her legs pull tightly together. Her eyes widened in surprise. Then, her hands were soon pulled forward slightly, and she felt the arch of her back deepen.

"Shikamaru," she whispered, glancing at him in surprise.

He walked around behind her and she heard him groan lowly, which surprised her.

"Shikamaru," she said again.

He set one knee on the bed, and then another. He stood on his knees behind her, then reached to touch her behind slowly, running a hand up and down her right side tenderly. She shuddered slightly.

Suddenly, he slapped it, and she gasped in surprise.

"SHIKAMARU," she said loudly, about to turn toward him when suddenly she felt it. She gasped in surprise.

He rubbed the tip of his member up and down her sex, and she moaned in pleasure.

"I may enjoy watching you crawl, but you have obviously been enjoying the shadow bonds," he said with a low chuckle. He had to fight back another groan at how wet she felt.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said stubbornly, though he could hear that familiar hoarseness starting to return to her voice. He grinned.

Suddenly, Temari felt a strange sensation crawling up her leg, her stomach, and stop at her chest. She felt a gripping sensation around her breasts, then she felt soft pinching and pulling on her nipples. She shuddered with pleasure.

"I believe you know exactly what I'm talking about," he said, whispering huskily into her ear.

"N-nope…" she managed to say, trying to maintain her composure, cursing herself for her stubbornness.

She felt that now familiar sensation crawl up toward her neck and she felt it slide around her throat. Suddenly, she was pulled upright, and she let out a small gasp in response.

"Admit it, woman. You like this," he said with a growl.

She moaned lowly as the sensation around her nipples increased.

"Say it," he said. She felt the speed of his thrusts increase and she felt him pound into her harder.

She soon felt the sensation slide down between her legs, and it rapidly started stroking her most sensitive place as she gasped in pleasure.

The restraint around her throat tightened as Shikamaru said, "say it," again.

"I…I love—" she started, but her climax came over her with such a fierceness that she couldn't finish. She came harder than she had in her whole life — and she shouted his name.

He released the shadow bonds and flipped her over onto her back. She looked up at him — breathless and flush with the passion of her climax, and he leaned down to kiss her as he soon came himself, moaning her name loudly and spilling his seed on her stomach.

For a moment, they just stared at one another, breathing hard and smiling happily. Shikamaru glanced down between them, then his face screwed up in irritation.

Then, Shikamaru lifted off the bed and walked off. Temari watched him, eyebrow raised. She was about to ask him where he was going when he returned with several towels, which he placed on the bed beside her. He grabbed one and said, "here, let me help," a tone in his words that almost sounded apologetic.

Temari was mildly surprised by that, and was surprised to watch him wipe along her abdomen and chest.

When he finished, he tossed the towels on the floor, then collapsed onto the bed beside her, arms and legs spread out wide. He looked exhausted.

She turned to look at him, laying on her side.

He turned his head to look at her. And they smiled at one another at the same time.

But his smile suddenly turned into a smirk. "You know…you admitted it…"

She raised a brow, confused about what he was talking about for a moment until it suddenly hit her. Then she scowled and turned back around to lay on her back. "Technically, I did not," she said haughtily.

Shikamaru snorted with laughter. "You were going to. Or else what were you saying 'I love' about?"

Her eyes widened at that as the memory of the moment flooded back into her mind. "I…" she started, eyes narrowing slightly, stalling to try and find a quick response. "I was…well…"

"You were saying 'I love you.' I know that. So what else could it have been in that moment," he said, raising up onto one arm to look at her.

Her eyes narrowed more and she bit the inside of her mouth. Because she knew that she actually almost said that…

His eyes widened momentarily in realization at her silence and facial expression. So…she was going to say it, he thought.

He couldn't help but smile at that.

He moved closer to her and leaned over top of her. She looked up at him with her brow furrowed, and he smiled down at her. She didn't need to say it until she was ready, but that was all the confirmation he needed right now. He placed a hand on the side of her face and leaned down and kissed her.

"I love you, too," he said against her lips. And she smiled softly.

—-

a/n: sorry for the delay, and typos. Expect a bonus chapter soon. But consider this the final chapter of this story. Thank you to all of my commenters and loyal readers who waited patiently for this!


	7. Bonus Chapter (1 of 2)

**Several months earlier…**

Shikamaru groaned loudly as he heard loud knocking and a high-pitched female voice shouting his voice.

He had been sleeping in his bed, and some obnoxious person decided to wake him up at the crack of dawn on his first day off in 4 weeks. He blinked slowly and scratched his eyes, trying to get a clear picture of his surroundings.

He began to recognize the voice. "Ino," he muttered irritably. He knew she wouldn't leave. She was to relentless. Why were all of the women in his life relentless?

He crawled off his bed with a long-suffering sigh and moved to get dressed as quickly as his still-sleepy body would allow.

"SHIKAMARU, IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR I'M GOING TO TELL YOUR MOM ABOUT THE TIME YOU AND CHOUJI WENT TO THAT GENTLEMEN'S CLUB WITH THE REST OF THE GUYS AND—"

"SHUT UP, INO! I'M COMING," he shouted angrily. He knew his mother was out of town, but his nosy neighbors likely heard her and would tell his mother about what they heard. He groaned in frustration, not looking forward to the conversation he would have to have with her about that particular mission.

He walked down the stairs and moved to open the front door.

"I swear to god, Ino, you have the biggest mouth in all of Konoha. Get in here and shut up," he said with an angry grunt, turning to walk into his house, not waiting for her to respond or walk inside.

She hissed angrily at him and let herself in, shutting the door behind herself.

"Shikamaru, you forgot, didn't you," she said angrily.

"Forgot what," he said in a disinterested tone from the kitchen.

She walked into the kitchen and stood by the entrance, arms crossed and hip cocked slightly. She scowled at him and said, "your birthday."

"Oh, is that today," he said stoically, facing away from her while heating up kettle of water on the stove.

"Yes, it is."

"I guess it slipped my mind. I've had a lot of other more important things on my mind lately," he said, grabbing teabags from the cabinet.

"More important than your own birthday? Shikamaru, you lazy idiot. You do this every year. You always forget."

"Hn," he said in response, looking disinterestedly at the kettle.

"Your mom. Chouji and I. Your friends. All of us are worried about you. When are you going to start taking better care of yourself? Your mom says all you do is work. You barely sleep, or eat, or take time to relax and spend time with friends. I know we are all very busy these days, but the amount of time you dedicate to work isn't healthy. Hey, are you even listening to me," said Ino, cocking her head to the side angrily.

"She has a point, you know," said a deep female voice from behind Ino. Ino's eyes widened in surprise.

She turned and looked at the female, who was standing behind her waiting to enter the kitchen. The sandy-blonde female was looking hard at Shikamaru, lips pursed, emerald eyes narrowed.

"Temari," said Ino in surprise. "I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you were staying in the ambassadors suite at the inn?"

"Shikamaru was kind enough to offer me a room in his guest house. It saves both our countries money and it means that we are closer together — so he doesn't have to leave his home so frequently to see to his obligations as my guide and partner. It also makes it easier for us to discuss Shinobi Union business together. We either discuss it at our offices, which is now thankfully closer now that I don't have to stay at the Inn. Or, we discuss it over breakfast, lunch or dinner, as we used to, but we save money now by eating at his home."

"Well, it sounds like you both have everything all figured out," said Ino with a smirk she tried to hide but fail to miserably. "You, staying at his home while you're here. Is this a permanent thing, or…?"

"I'm not really sure. We haven't discussed it," said Temari, eye twitching ever so slightly. She was beginning to realize what Ino was really asking. So she added, "it depends on whether or not the living arrangements are suitable for the work I have to perform while I am here."

"Of course," said Ino, nodding and turning away, but giving Temari one last knowing glance before turning her attention fully toward Shikamaru. Temari clenched her teeth.

"Getting back to the point. Shikamaru, you need to take better care of yourself. And you never have some time off. Come — let's go get some fresh air. Sunshine. Let Chouji and I treat you to lunch," asked Ino. She peered sideways at Temari. "Perhaps, Temari could join us."

"Absolutely not," said Shikamaru, turning to look at Ino abruptly, eyes wide.

"Why the hell would I do that," said Temari, turning to look at Ino and speaking in unison with Shikamaru, looking at Ino in bewilderment.

"Oh, I just thought…perhaps…it would be wiser not to leave the ambassador unaccompanied—especially in a home she isn't familiar with," said Ino innocently, shrugging slightly.

"Well, but…" started Shikamaru, but he trailed off, glancing at Temari warily.

"I…well, I don't know if I should intrude," said Temari hurriedly, waving one of her hands slightly.

"Nonsense," said Ino, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling warmly. "You are always welcome to join us. You're our friend. And I think Shikamaru would like having you there — right, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru stammered uncomfortably, looking as if he might object but seemly unable to get the words out.

"Yeah, that's right. Of course, that's on top of the fact that it's his responsibility to be sure that you have everything that you need. The Hokage would have his head if he didn't do his duty," said Ino.

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed at that.

"So, let's GO! Come on, Temari. Let's go get ready, girl. You can't wear your pjs out," said Ino, pushing Temari through the doorway. Temari stuttered in objection, but allowed herself to be led away. She glanced at Shikamaru and frowned slightly before disappearing into the hall — Ino's small but firm hands pushing hard against her back.

Shikamaru watched hem warily and when they disappeared, he bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed.

"SHIKAMARU, YOU BETTER BE GETTING READY TO GO, TOO," yelling Ino from somewhere within his house. Shikamaru let out a silent groan, muttering "Yes, mom," under his breath.

He climbed the stairs and when he reached the landing, he heard the two girls talking happily. He frowned slightly, but continued to walk to his room.

Why didn't Temari lead her back to the guest bedroom she had set up in case someone unexpectedly showed up? Why did she lead her to the room she was staying in down the hall from his room? She was the one who was so adamant about people not knowing about them — why did she do something so careless?

He turned and walked into his bedroom. A small patch of sunlight trickled into the room between his curtains which had been pulled apart slightly.

She must've gotten up shortly after I did to see who it was that was making all of that noise, he thought. I tried not to wake her when I got out of the bed, but no luck there.

"Shikamaru," said Temari very quietly.

He turned and saw her standing by the door. She was dressed in civilian clothing that seemed almost unnaturally comfortable and relaxed for her person. But there was concern in her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday," she said. There was a note of irritation in her voice. Under those layers, she was still that same Temari. He was oddly happy about that fact.

"I was honest with Ino earlier. It had slipped my mind," said Shikamaru, not looking at her. He turned to pick up a more presentable shirt to wear. He wasn't lying to her - he had truly forgotten. But it was on purpose. Birthdays, holidays, celebrations…they just weren't the same anymore to him. Sometimes he felt like something very important was missing, and sometimes he felt so suffocated at the event that all he wanted to do was leave. He couldn't seem to enjoy them to their fullest, so he purposely stopped celebrating things.

"And I was being honest earlier, too," said Temari. "You've been working too hard."

"Ha! You're one to talk! You work as much as I do," said Shikamaru, smiling slightly. He was being honest about this as well. They had spent so much time together working for the Union that he had hardly had any time off. He was fairly certain she never had any time off — and when she did, it seemed like she only spent the time with him.

"Well, then maybe we both need to relax a little more," she said, looking at him hard. "We've been forgetting the important things. You've been forgetting your own birthday…and I've been forgetting to celebrate you."

"What do you mean," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"What I mean is, I think we shouldn't hide our relationship from our close friends and family. Let's tell them, and be free to relax around them. Be free to be you and me — together," she said, smiling warmly. She placed a hand on his arm, squeezing slightly.

"Are…are you sure," he said.

"Yes," she said simply, nodding once.

He nodded back, and smiling warmly. He rested his forehead against hers and sighed contently. "I am incredibly lucky to have you, Tem," he whispered.

"I know," she chuckled, pushing her forehead into his slightly. She pulled her head back and kissed his forehead, and whispered against it, "Happy Birthday, Shika."


End file.
